First I would like to thank everybody that has helped me so far and answered my questions. Hgmjr, Scubasteve, beenthere, and kender in particular.

No to my next question.

Will it be possible to implement the attached circuit I would like to regulate the power to the load via the PWM output from a uP.

This lead me to another question: How does an optocoupler actually transfer the input to output? Is the output a function of the input, or just an on/of depending on the input? (Should this be asked in a separate thread?)

This lead me to another question: How does an optocoupler actually transfer the input to output? Is the output a function of the input, or just an on/of depending on the input? ...

Click to expand...

An opto-coupler (a.k.a. an opto-isolator) is composed of an LED and a companion photo-transistor all encapsulated inside the same package. This provides a circuit element that is excellent for providing galvanic isolation between the control source and load.

While the action is linear, the opto-isolator is most often used in swithcing applications.

There are opto-isolators that contain additional internal interface circuitry to help avoid the need to provide such circuitry external to the device.